LAGOPUS 693 



968. RED GROUSE. 

 LAGOPUS SCOTICUS. 



Lagopus scoticus (Lath.), Ind. Orn. ii. p. 641 (1790) ; Hewitson, i. 

 p. 279, pi. Ixx. figs. 1, 2 ; Gould, B. of E. iv. pi. 252 ; id. B. of Gt. 

 Brit. iv. pi. 7 ; Elliot, Monogr. Tetr. pi. xix. ; Dresser, vii. p. 165, 

 pi. 479 ; Ogilvie Grant, Cat. B. Br. Mus. xxii. p. %5 ; Saunders, 

 p. 495 ; Lilford, iv. p. 107, pi. 46. 



< ad. (Scotland). General plumage blackish brown vermiculated with, 

 rusty red, the head, neck, breast, rump, and upper tail-coverts more rusty 

 red in colour ; wings and tail blackish brown, the middle tail-feathers 

 vermiculated with reddish brown ; feathers over and under the eye, and 

 an irregular line from the base of the lower mandible, white ; some of the 

 abdominal feathers tipped with white ; leg feathering greyish brown 

 above, merging into dirty white towards the feet ; beak dark horn ; comb 

 red ; iris hazel. Culmen 0*85, wing 8'2, tail 4'2, tarsus T8 inch. The 

 female is somewhat smaller and paler, the general colour being warm 

 yellowish brown barred and vermiculated with black. Unlike the Willow 

 Grouse, the Red Grouse has 110 special winter plumage. Specimens from 

 England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland vary considerably in tone of colour. 



Hob. The British Islands only, except where introduced. 



Inhabits the moors and open places in various parts of the 

 United Kingdom, chiefly in the north, and is highly esteemed as 

 a game bird. It feeds on berries, tender shoots of the heather 

 and ling, also grain when obtainable, &c. It is strong on the 

 wing, and when taking flight, or when danger threatens, the male 

 utters a note of warning, kok, kok, kok. During the breeding 

 season the grouse are in pairs, but in the autumn in coveys 

 and sometimes in flocks or packs. The nest is a mere hollow 

 scratched in the ground, scantily lined with grass, moss, or 

 heather twigs, and in April or May, 8 to 12 eggs are deposited, 

 which are pale olive or olive-buff, strongly spotted and blotched 

 with dark reddish brown or blackish brown, and vary consider- 

 ably. In size they measure about 1 75 by 1'33. 



969. ALPINE PTARMIGAN. 

 LAGOPUS MUTUS. 



Lagopus mutus (Montin.), Physiogr. Sallsk. Handl. Lund. i. p. 155 

 (1776-86) ; Hewitson, i. p. 280, pi. Ixx. fig. 3 ; Gould, B. of E. 

 pi. 253, 254 ; id. B. of Gt. Brit. iv. pis. 8, 9, 10 ; Dresser, vii. p. 157, 

 pis. 478, 484, fig. 2 ; Ogilvie Grant, Cat. B. Br. Mus. xxii. p. 44 ; 

 Saunders, p. 497 ; Lilford, iv. p. 112, pis. 47, 48, 49 ; Tetr. lagopus, 

 Scop. Ann. i. p. 118 (1769 nee. Linn.) ; Nanm. vi. p. 401, Taf. 160, 

 161 ; T. alpinus, Nilss. Orn. Suec. i. p. 311 (1817). 



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